Demko Scorpion Lock Headlines Cold Steel’s 2019 Lineup

Cold Steel has launched its new for 2019 product lineup. The reveal contains tons of products across multiple categories, but six key new blades strengthen existing lines and break important ground for the company, marking a new collaborator in Wes Crawford, and the production debut of the Andrew Demko-designed Scorpion Lock.

Crawford Model 1Wes Crawford joins forces with Cold Steel for the first time with this budget-oriented offering. The Model 1 emulates the aggressive but flowing Crawford look, and packs in a 3.5-inch flipper blade made from 4034 steel, a Japanese formulation that appears to be comparable to 420HC. Cold Steel also outfitted the design with their patent-pending secondary lock mechanism, which we saw last year on the Bush Ranger Lite. In combination with the Zy-Ex handle this allows the Crawford 1 to play the role of new-for-2019 budget knife, with an MSRP under $50.

AD-15
After nearly two years of waiting, Cold Steel is finally bringing the Scorpion Lock to the masses. The new Cold Steel AD-15 emulates the Demko custom of the same name: a broad 4-inch drop point blade (this one made from S35VN), no-nonsense, bracketed handle, and of course the Scorpion Lock itself.

The locking component on the Scorpion Lock, called a ‘yoke,’ forms the back part of the handle itself. This means the profile can be kept slimmer without compromising the blade or other parts of the knife. For the production version Cold Steel implemented a 3D-machined, one piece aluminum yoke (the locking portion of the Scorpion Lock) as opposed to the handle-assembled titanium one seen on the custom model. Demko tells us that the Scorpion Lock is completely ambidextrous, with users pulling back on the yoke with their middle finger and thumb and pushing the blade spine with their index finger to disengage it.

AD-10The much sought-after Demko Knives AD-10 is also getting the production treatment. “I’m really excited to see these in production,” Demko tells us. Although his knives are work-ready, Demko’s obsession with quality means that they routinely fetch four figures. Given the extremely tight tolerancing in a custom Tri-Ad Lock (within .0005 of an inch), he simply isn’t able to make that many a year. This puts the AD-10s that do make it out into the wild expensive propositions, out of the budget of of a lot of fans. “I’d see guys on Instagram say ‘I love that knife but I’ll never have one.’ And that really sucks,” he tells us. “Just because people can’t afford four-figure customs doesn’t mean they don’t deserve an awesome knife.”

Although designed with accessibility in mind, the Cold Steel AD-10 comes in under their growing line of premium knives. It has an S35VN-steel blade that is 3.5 inches long, contoured black G-10 handle scales, and of course Demko’s tried-and-true Tri-Ad Lock. Demko describes the 6.9 oz. AD-10 as a ‘do everything’ knife, the kind of blade that would serve you well if it was all you had, no matter the situation. He tells us that the weight is for the most part necessary in order to achieve the set of traits he looks for in his knives, and that it doesn’t bother him to carry a knife on the heavier side. “It’s all relative. When I was an electrician I carried side cutters that weighed 13 oz. So a 6-8 oz. knife never bothered me.”

Drop Forged Battle Ring 2 and New FGX Knives
The latest in Cold Steel’s Drop Forged series is the Battle Ring 2, a smallish kunai-style fixed blade with a 3.5-inch dagger ground blade. It follows the original Cold Steel Battle Ring, which was smaller, without a coated blade, not part of the Drop Forged series, and discontinued. Two new knives have been created for the FGX line, which features fixed blade designs made from injection-molded Griv-Ex plastic. The Ring Dagger is pretty much what it says on the tin and shares proportions and overall lines with the Battle Ring 2. Cold Steel has also produced its first folding FGX knife with the new Balisong model. Both new FGX models come with fully serrated blades and reinforced, arrowhead-like tips.

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